Jacquard harness



W ILL 1 IH. GRIFFITHS QUARD HARNESS Filed April 15, 1927 14 14 1: imsq/ g mm. 2, Wm. Lmmm H. GRIFFITH-11S JACQUARD HARNESS Filed April 1927 3 Sheets-$heet 2 till JtflCQlTlllEtlD IHIARNIESS.

Application filed .tlpril i3, 192?. Serial No. 183,439.

lhe invention relates to jacquard harness, particularly to harness used in that type of jacquard machine which employs lifting boards. This type of jacquard is extensively used the shedding mechanism for carpet looms, and to such my invention is particularly applicable, although not restricted to use in connection with carpet looms.

The chief type of harness heretofore used with lifting board. jacquards has been ordinary braided cordage, said cordage being knotted just above the several lifting boards and above the top or suspension board.

llpon this cordage, during the operation of the loom, there is a continual friction and a continual strain as the individual cords are lifted to form the shed. lhis has resulted in breakage of the individual cords, and while any given cord will normally last for a great length of time, breakage is not infrequent in any given jacquard because over a thousand cords are used in each. machine.

Every time a cord breaks, the loom has to he stopped until it is fixed. llforeover, the replacing of an old cord with a new one nee essarily means that the lengths of the cords will ultimately vary, since the stretch on all the corc s can no longer be said to be even theoretically uniform. lit the cords are not all of the same effective length, an uneven shed will be produced. also, cords of un equal length. and stretch are more apt to get tangled and sometimes do not enter the slot in the lifting); board effectively so as to be lifted when the pattern calls for such.

Another difficulty encountered in ac quards of this class with the cordage heretofore in use, is the shrinking which occurs on a damp or humid day. Un such a day all of the Cordage shrinks, sometimes to such agreat extent that the shuttle cannot pass through the shed. W hen this happened, the loom had to be shut down, with a consequent serious loss of production.

'lo remedy all this, the invention provides rigid wires passing; through the lifting board that determines the color pattern, comu'ionly known as the trap board, and extending into the top or suspension hoard. When, by the action of the said trap board, the selected harness elements are raised, the tops of said elements rise above the top or suspension board. Thus there is no flexing of any of the harness elements, and consequently they will last much longer and will always be properl aligned with i-hc-lijiti slots whim lnC 'tWT into position forliftinp; by the cross wires. llnd, of course, the wires are unaffected by humidity.

'lfhe invention is herein illustrated. in two modifications, and further modifications may be made. The top board in some cases may be used as the liftin board that determines the shed. lint in all modifications, the rigid or wire harness extends between and through the top board, whether it is asuspension board or a liftin board, and the immediately subjacent board, which is a slotted board and lifts the harness elements selectively, as determined by the jacquard cards and the cross wires. All of which will more fully appear in the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying draw ingrs, in whichliig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a jacquard machine showing; the invention applied thereto in the form of flat harness wires, with the topmost board being used as a lifting board.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the board moving; mechanism of a jacquard machine, showing how the top board is actuated when it is used as a lifting board.

Fig. 3 is an ci'ilarged fragmentary plan view of the top board.

Fig. (l is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the slottedliiting, or trap board.

lfig. 5 is a. still further enlarged and detail view of a device used for removably retain inp; the harness wires in place.

Fig. (3 is an enlarged view of a single flat harness wire as used'in the invention, showing; that part of itwhich extends through the top board and the trap board.

*l' is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, showing" a modified form of harness.

liilrereference characters refer to like parts throughout the drawings.

Referring; first to l igr. 1, which is simply a fragmentary showing of so muclii of a jacquard as is necessary to the understanding of my invention, the top board which, in this embodiment of the invention, is given a rising and falling motion as will hereinafter be described, is designated by the reference numeral l. tlaid board 1 provides a plin'ality of holes '2 (best shown in through which extend the harness Wires 4 of the invention. The wires 4 extend downwardly through holes provided in a trap board tielow the board are usual iatrhfi lieu jacquard cards to determine the pattern. Said needles 6 are supported by plates 7 and 8 through which they pass and they provide loops 9 surrounding the wires 4. It is unnecessary to describe the particular arrangement of the wires and loops, as such forms no part of the present invention, and indeed the invention makes no change over the prior practice in this respect.

Below the needles or cross wires 6 is a. guide board 10, providing slots for the passage of the wires 4. In this embodiment of the invention, the wires 4 are constructed, as shown in Fig. 6, out of flat wire, having two twists at 11 and 12, respectively, leaving a portion 13 which extends at right angles to the plane of the restof the wire. The portion 13 constitutes the means by which the wires are lifted by the trap board 5, as will be here inafter described. The wires 4 also provide caps let to prevent them from falling through the top board, and they extend downwardly far below the acquard prop-er into the loom, being spaced therein by another guide board 15. The wires' l, in fact, terminate just above the heddle eyes 16 (sometimes termed mails), which control the individual ends of the color warp, although it is in the contemplation of the invention that the said mails may be dispensed with and slots through the flatwire substituted therefor. At all events, they extend practically the whole distance from the top of the jacquard rightdown to the warp in the loom, being held firmly in vertical position by the usual individual weights 1?, commonly known as lingoes.

The'so-called card cylinder is shown at 18 in Fig. 1, and the levelling-up board is shown at 19. The former carries the pattern cards, not shown, which, when the card cylinder is moved to the left, selectively moves some of the needles 6, thus moving the corresponding wires 4 slightly 'to the left. Nhen this happens, the wlres l that are moved pass from large holes 20 (see Fig.4) in'the trap board to slots 21 therein, except that in the case of the .two left hand rows of wires the reverse is the case. At all events, when the trap board 5 rises, which it does immediately after this selective moving of'the wires 4, those wires that are in the narrow slots 21 are raised, by reason of the fact that the portions 13 will not fit the slots.

In Fig. 3 is shown a fragmentary plan view of the top board 1.. As aforesaid, this board provides a number of holes '2 equal to the number of wires at which pass through it. Across each row of holes is a member 22 providing slots '23. These slots serve to align the wires 4. A member 22 is more clearly illustrated in Fig. 5, and provides Screw holes 2 1, 24 for d-etachably securing it to the board 1. The reason for providing these members 22 rather than making slots of the required size and shape in the board 1 lS'lllltiL the wires must be inserted into the jacquard from above and the portion 133 could not be forced down through such slots in the board 1. Consequently, when initially assembling the wires 1 in the jacquard, or in case one of the wires 4 should for any reason have to be replaced, any one or all of the members 2; can be removed until the portion or portions 123 have been lowered below the board 1, whereupon that particular Illtll'lllti 252. or all of them, can be reinserted in place and scrcwcd down.

Besides selectively raising ('crluin ends of the figuring warp (in the case of carpets, the pile) to produce the pattern, a jacquard of this type must periodically (usually at alternate picks of the loom) raise all the figuring warp in order that the weft or filling may bind the whole together. lhis is accomplished by raising all of the harness elements at. Heretofore, this has been accomplishcd b a lifting board, which was located below the guide board 10. In the particular modilicution of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to (3, however, this function is performed by the top board, and in order to give this board the necessary periodic motion, the following adaptation of the usual mechanism is pro vided. Referring to Fig. 2, 25 indicates the low or cam shaft of the loom which revolves once in every two picks of the loom. An eccentric eam 26 is secured to this shaft on each side of the loom, and each of said cums engages with a roller 27 carried by a lever 28 which is pivoted at 29 to the loom frame. Lifting connectors 50 connect the free ends of the levers 28 to the board 1, which is shown in Fig. 2. Guides 31 and j'irojocting from the jacquard frame 33 compel the board .1. to move in a rectilinear path.

As the shaft .25 revolves a half the spec-d of the crank shaft (not shown), the board 1 will be lifted on alternate picks of the loom, the cams 26 being of the single rise and fall variety. The connectors 30 provide :ums CH which raise and lower a harness frame 35 that carries what is known as the stull'er warp. In Fig. 2 are shown the principal clcmculs of the mechanism to operate the trap board, deriving its motion from a cam ill; on the cam shaft 25, but as this mechanism and the associated mechanism for actuating the curd cylinder 18 and the levelling up board 19 are uuchanged by my invention, they nccd not be further described herein.

Reverting now to the objects of the invcntion-set forth at the beginning of this specification, it is obvious that there ca be no shrinkage of the wire harness elements at. There is no flexing of the wires, since when the trap board 5 lifts, raising certain of the harness elements 4, said elements rise above the top of the board 1. Neither is there any flexing when all the warp ends are raised together since, according to this einbodiuiciu' of lll ill

measure the invention, this is performer; hy a hoard at the top of the jacquard instead of by a board located underneath the cross wires (3 as tlorinerly. llut the invention, in this aspect, is not limited to the useo't llat wire, nor to the use of the twist 13 to catch in the slots ot the hoard, nor to any particular form of proiection 14; for preventing}; the wires from tailing; through the top hoard.

llurning now to ll ie'. '5", a modification oi the invention is indicated in this :t'r inentary View. The top hoard, which in this embodirncnt is a staticjinary suspension board, is indi cated at 37. The trap board is indicated at 38, the guide hoard just below the needles at 39, and the board which raised at periodic intervals to raise all the warp at 40. The 1notions and construction of the parts oi? the jacquard are, in tact, unchanged from the usual practice, in acquards for carpet looms o t this type in this embodiment. the harness elements alone heing' dillererrt,--h r this reason the invention can he applied in this form to existing jacquard n'iachines without any change in their construction.

The harness elements comprise a wire ll, which may he round or oil; other cross scctional shape, said still wirc extending trom the top of the jacquard well hclow the on" hoard 89; entending through the board. the mails, the harness elements comprise twisted {flexible strand wire The bottom part of: each individual length o'l. wire id, is perfectly straight before it placed in. the jacquard. and it may thus easily he inserted therein from the top, iassii1,q;through holes in the trap board and through the needle eyes and the guide heard; when a Wire is so inserted, its lower end is hooked over as shown at t3, and thereupon the proper tie .ihle wire 42 may he attached by simply placnig a loop -fl4l :lornied thereon over the said hook.

{do-me sort of a hoot or projection l5, which may he soldered on, is provided on the wire portion l2, so that the board d may li'tt the figuring warp. A twist or a similar projection is is provided. in the still wire, (ll to enable the trap board to SQslOCliiYhlf lii' the desired warp ends and similar i'ueans is pro vided at 417 to prevent the wires :lrom falling; through the top suspension heard 37.

.lllthough, according to this niodi licatio'n oil? the invention, the wires l2 do lies. the upper wires ll do not, instead, when lifted by the trap board, the tops of said wires project through the top suspension board 37' in the first embodiment of the invention. its it is in the jacquard proper that the principal wear and tear on the harness cords has occurred, owing; to the tact that the ttleirure here must occur in a shorter lineal distance and hence is more pronounced, and ow to the ta ct that the movement of the trap oard is a sharper niovem {see he shape oil the can? 36 conu ar with; in slurpe at the earn 336}, the

m ll in modification of the invention shown in Hi '5 possesses the principal. advantage of the embodiment first described, and in addition, can he applied to jacquard machines now in operation without any change.

Both embodiments of the inventhsn are im mune to the ElliOCtB oil adrc atn'iosi iheric conditions, and hisoinuch a.

i this would he so even it, in the second embodiment, the part l2 oi the harness elements were made cl? cord (the lengths the parts 42 being so short), I intend to llltlllflt this obvious slight change in the invention within the scope oil the appended claims.

ll claim,

1, lo a jacquard machine, a top board, a selectively lilting board, and a set of still harness elements extending; through the selectively hitting hoard and the top board, means to hold. said elements from falling through the top heard, and means to lifting thorn hy the rise oi? the selectively lilting" hoard, wherehy said action takes place without llenure of the ha rn ess el cment s,

la a jacquard machine, a top board, a selectively ii hoard, a set oil still harness elemei provion o means to hold them from fallingthrough the top heard and means for l' in p" them hy the rise of the selectively li:tt inn heard, and detachahlc guiding nie'mhers to guide said harness elements in said top hoard, yet allowirui; thorn. to he readily inserted therein, whereby movement oi the herness elements takes place without llczrure.

Iln a jacquard machine, a top hoard, a selectively lilting hoard, and a. set of llat metal harness element-s extending through the selec tively liii. t. board and the top hoard, means to hold said elements from tailing through the top hoard, and means for lilting; them. by the rise of the selectively lilting board, wherehy said action takes place without fleirure of the harness elements.

a. lln a jacquard machine, atop hoard, a selectively lilting; hoard, a set oi flat metal harness eleincr. providing: means to hold them from falling through the top board and means il' ingrthern by the rise oi the selectively it ,n; board, and dela'iclnrble grurdmr; members to auidc said harness elements in said top hoard, yet allowing: them to be readily inserted therein, whereby movement ot the harness elements takes place without llenure. 5. lln a acquard machine, a top hoard, means to periodically move said top hoard, a selectively lilting; hoard, and a set of s harness elements providing; means to hold them from tallin hreugh the top heard and means for li'ltin h n hy the rise oi the selectively lift ng: hoard, rehy said action takes place without tleitu e ot the harness elements.

6. ln a acquard n'iachine, a top hoard, means to per odically move said top hoard, a se ective hoard a set of? means to ill) till

them from falling through the top board and t means for lifting them by the rise of the selectively lifting board, and detachable guiding members to guide said harness elements in said top board, yet allowing them to be readily inserted therein wherby movement of the harness eleu'ients takes place without flexure.

7. In a jacquard machine, a top board,

means to periodically move said top board, a

selectively lifting heard, and a set 0t flat metal harn ss elements providing means to hold them from falling through the top board and means for lifting them by the rise of the selectively lifting board, whereby said action takes place without fieXure of the harness elements.

8. In a jacquard machine, a top heard, means to periodically more said top board, a selectively lilting hoard, a set 0'! tlat metal harness elements providing means to hold them trom falling through the top hoard and means for li't't ing' them hy the rise of the selee tirely lifting board, and detachable guiding members to guide said harness elements in said top hoard, yet allowing them to he readily in --erted thereiin whcrchy movement ot the harness elements takes place without tlexure.

HAP-OLD G ll l FFl'lllS. 

